Sennheiser, the German uber-brand, is well-known for its pro and consumer audio products, as well as for its breathtaking (and expensive) Neumann microphones. Now, the company has updated its well-loved PXC 250 travel headphones with a hot new look, better ergonomics and a slight performance bump.

If you’re the kind of guy who likes travel (or has to travel), clear sound and good design, you can’t really go wrong with the new Sennheiser PXC 250-II headphones, but you could do better.

The new Sennheiser PXC 250-II travel headphones take the already cool PXC 250 and bump up the tech for 2010. The new version gets an up-to-date look, but under the hood the differences are more evolutionary than revolutionary. The PXC 250-II headphones promise to mitigate its older sibling’s slightly anemic bass (though it still leaves you wanting), and the active NoiseGuard noise compensation now works for 50 hours on a single AAA battery. This means a smaller, less obtrusive battery pack -- and that’s cool right there.

The headphones can operate without the battery, so long as you don’t need the active noise-canceling feature. Without, the closed, supra-aural design of the cans is passively noise-canceling, and should be good enough for a lot of situations, but only if you like listening to music through tin cans.

Physically, the Sennheiser PXC 250-II travel headphones should be able to take a licking; the previous model’s steel-reinforced headband is back, as is the lockable folding action and protective carrying case. For comfort, the PXC 250-II boasts ample cushioning on both the headband and the ear cups. The inline control unit makes it simple to adjust the volume without digging for your iPod in your bag, which is also where you’ll find the NoiseGuard switch that's supposed to block out the sounds of noisy children on planes or when you’re sitting on a booming train, but ambient sound still made its way to our ears.

For wicked sound and responsive bass, these headphones most likely won’t leave you dazzled, but they'll do their job. They are stylish, even with the super dated look of having a cable going to each can, and promise to be every bit as rugged as the previous model.